Thin Lizzy

[imbosse]

Anyone like them? They are so good!! They are so underated too. So is their drummer. Their drummer is one of the best 70's drummers out there.

[PhoenixRising]

pretty good..i haven't heard much of their music, so i don't know much about them..heh..any recommendations on albums to pick up by them??

[Sword Of The Heretic]

I hear them frequently on the local classic rock station. Great stuff.

[stepcousin]

I just saw a classic concert from i think 1983 on VH1 Classic BBC Crown Jewels, a show that has classic concerts. I think it was 1983, the Thunder & Lightning tour, if Im not mistaken. Phil Lynott is like 6'5" or so, a very big stage presence, weilding that big 'ol bass of his. I think one of the guitarists was John Sykes, but I might be wrong. Phil's band has always had great guitarists come and go. Had he lived to see the late 80's/early 90's, it wouldve been very interesting to hear what his band wouldve sounded like with heavier production.

[Jared]

The Boys Are Back in Town & especially Jailbreak rock. I haven't heard much else

[George '71]

Wow, what can you say about this great band? They created one of the most instantly recognizable dual guitar sounds of the 70's. Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson were amazing. THIN LIZZY also later on featured other guitar legends like Gary Moore, as well as John Sykes. THIN LIZZY inspired a countless number of Rock and Metal bands who used the dual guitar style in their music, including 2 of the most famous bands from the 80's...IRON MAIDEN and TROUBLE. Simply put, THIN LIZZY were one of the best bands ever!! :)

[Gryphon]

Black Rose is a good album imo.

[imbosse]

I picked up Jailbreak not too long ago at coconuts. I love the whole album! My favorite songs would be "Warriors", "The Boys Are Back In Town", and The Cowboy Song". "Warriors" is an amazing track because of the amazing drum fills throughout the whole track. The guitars are really great too. I highly suggest getting this album. I love listening to this album just before I go to bed because it's not super heavy and it is not super light either. I will get some more albums of theirs once I get some more money!! Any suggestions on which album of Thin Lizzy that I should get next?

[graybeardheadbanger]

Black Rose is a good album imo.

Yes, a hugely underrated album. Jailbreak is a real rocker, and Black Rose is good as well. A stranger, but interesting album, is Vagabonds of the Western World. Another great album was a re-release of their first two albums, called "Remembering Thin Lizzy." Individually, the albums were Thin Lizzy, and Shades of a Blue Orphanage. There were some mellow songs on them (but they were good), a couple of proto-metal stuff, and some ethnic-flavored stuff (hey, they were fronted by a black Irishman--how cool is that?!) I love the Remembering album myself.

Other good, but less heralded, rockers are Chinatown, and Renegade. I recommend both. Thunder and Lightning is pretty good, though it has a song with swearing on it (G-D). The later stuff is rockier, but seems to be missinh something, a bit. For the class stuff, I recommend Jailbreak and Black Rose.

Another underrated album of their is Fighting, and Johnny the Fox. That one is different, though not as much as Vagabonds, which is definitely the most experimental thing they ever did.

All in all, any album is good, some are very good to great, and they are highly recommended. Live and Dangerous is not a bad live double-length, by the way, if you want a sampler.

Oh, i almost forgot a REALLY good mellower one, but with a great vibe--Nite Life. It's cool. And Bad Reputation kicks as well--its a little bit "snakier" in its guitar lines--maybe a bit funky. I used to absolutely love these guys, and still have a special place in my hard rock heart for them.

graybeardheadbanger

[ultmetal]

Thin Lizzy are an amazing band, and I totally agree that Brian Downey is a great drummer. Take a listen to the drum work in "Bad Reputation". He was way ahead of his time.

Thin Lizzy didn't release a bad album IMO. However, their early material was different from the twin guitar rock they became known for. Thin Lizzy were a power trio in those days with a nod to Cream and Jimi Hendrix. They mixed rock with traditional Irish folk to create a sound that was quite unique.

[ultmetal]

Other good, but less heralded, rockers are Chinatown, and Renegade. I recommend both. Thunder and Lightning is pretty good, though it has a song with swearing on it (G-D). The later stuff is rockier, but seems to be missinh something, a bit. For the class stuff, I recommend Jailbreak and Black Rose.

For the classic stuff, I recommend "Night Life", "Johnny the Fox", "Fighting", or "Bad Reputation". All prime Thin Lizzy. "China Town" and "Renegade" were great. "Thunder and Lighting" is OUTSTANDING. I'm not sure how anyone could say it was "missing something." Rather, John Sykes brought renewed energy into the band. "Thunder and Lighting" is probably the most copies album in the Thin Lizzy catalog. Many, many bands have covered songs from this album.

Just a couple of bands that have covered songs from this album:
Gamma Ray covered "Angel of Death" on their Heaven & Hell EP (Victor)
Helloween "Cold Sweat" Perfect Gentleman EP (Raw Power) 1994
Re-Animator "Cold Sweat" That Was Then...This Is Now (Under One Flag) 1992
Sodom "Cold Sweat" Better Off Dead (Steamhammer/SPV) 1990
Gothic Slam "Thunder and Lightning" Just a Face in the Crowd (Epic) 1989
Sinner "The Nature of Evil" (Nuclear Blast) 1998
Heathen "The Holy War" Recovered (independent) 2004

[Glenn Rogers]

There is a lineup with Scott G.and John Sykes doing the vocals... Not bad, but not the same... We played with them at Bang Your Head 2003... Hung with Scott... Nice guy...

[graybeardheadbanger]

For the classic stuff, I recommend "Night Life", "Johnny the Fox", "Fighting", or "Bad Reputation". All prime Thin Lizzy. "China Town" and "Renegade" were great. "Thunder and Lighting" is OUTSTANDING. I'm not sure how anyone could say it was "missing something." Rather, John Sykes brought renewed energy into the band. "Thunder and Lighting" is probably the most copies album in the Thin Lizzy catalog. Many, many bands have covered songs from this album.


Maybe it's just that that was the last Lizzy album I ever heard, and by then I was enamored by the rest. Thunder and Lightning is definitely a worthwhile album--nothing they did is not worthwhile. It is also a sizzler--they did for the most part get heavier as they went along. But somehow, for me, it just
didn't stick in my brain the way some of the others did--it was developed well musically, rocks, and all that kind of good stuff--but for whatever reason,
it just didn't "do it" for me as much. Which is NOT to say that I wouldn't recommend it (if you can accept the frequent use of swearing G-D in the one song--but that's not affecting my assessment of the album). By the way, another point of clarification--I had this album stolen, and I only listened to it three or four times prior to that (also lost Black Rose and Vagabonds! :mad: )
So, I didn't get to know the album as well, If I had, maybe I'd have a different perspective.

Let's put it this way, you can't go wrong with ANYTHING Lizzy did.

graybeardheadbanger

[graybeardheadbanger]

BTW, a Canadian journalist named Martin Popoff published a book reviewing thousands of hard rock and metal albums a few years back (he didn't do much extreme death, black, etc.--but tons of classic stuff, some doom, etc.)

He rated Thin Lizzy as the best hard rock/heavy metal band of all time. I wouldn't go THAT far, BUT I did highly respect his choice. It was "thinking outside the box," and you could make a case for it. BTW, he also voted Trouble the 5th all-time hr/hm band, and Sabbath 6th. His argument was as follows: yes, Trouble was influenced by Sabbath, so you could argue that Sabbath is rated higher--but Trouble is so good, that you realise they would have HAD to exist, even if Sabbath never had.

But anyway, he puts Thin Lizzy as number one. Interesting pick, excellent band.

graybeardheadbanger

[imbosse]

I just heard the Metallica cover of 'Whiskey In The Jar" and I really like it. I heard the original and loved it more. I listened to "The Rocker" too. So this means that I am probably getting Vagabond of The Western World next. I love Thin Lizzy!

[imbosse]

Thin Lizzy rules. ;)

[Ben Grimm]

I discovered them not long ago. I of course had heard JailBreak and Boys are back but with the recent interest in 70's rock I heard some stuff that i had never heard, and went out and got a couple of their albums

[BrianMadsen]

my favorite album is definately "Bad Reputation" !
that's a great one!

[imbosse]

my favorite album is definately "Bad Reputation" !
that's a great one!

I need to buy that one. I had Jailbreak for a while but dont know what happened to it. That was one killer album! I'll probably start buying their stuff again.

[graybeardheadbanger]

Yeah, Bad Reputation is good. But you can't go wrong with any--many albums are different, but all are good. For tripped out psych, try "Vagabonds of the Western World.' Johnny the Fox is trippy as well. For some proto-speed metal, try Thunder and Lightning, or Renegade. I personally like Black Rose a lot. And even though it's mellower, there is something really cool about "Nightlife." I think the first two albums are great, though not as heavy--but really creative, with tons of soul. Everything else is solid also (FIghting, Chinatown, etc.)

Long live Lizzy. 'Nuff said.

graybeardheadbanger

[righteous_slave]

My little brother turned me on to Thin Lizzy a couple of years ago (hangs head in shame for ignoring them for so long). Great classic rock.

[GospelofPassion]

Good 70s classic hard rock...Jailbreak is a great album.

[Jeffw]

I'm glad you made this thread. Now I have something to do for the next two hours: Revisit Lizzy.

[kentablo]

I own "Dedication: The Very Best of Thin Lizzy." It's chock full of most of their prime cuts: Whiskey in the Jar, Jailbreak, Boys Are Back In Town, She Knows, Cowboy Song, etc...

I recommend this album as a great starting point for anyone who wants to check out this awesome band.